Royal Mail faces letters turmoil

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/4 ... rs-turmoil" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MILLIONS of bills and bank statements could go undelivered if the Communication Workers Union (CWU) secures a mandate later this month for a Royal Mail boycott of ­private mail.

A comprehensive boycott could leave 26 million letters undelivered each day and send Royal Mail into turmoil as it gears up for a £3 billion stock market debut as early as this autumn.

The CWU has launched a consultative ballot among 112,000 postal workers including drivers, sorting and delivery staff but not post office or Parcelforce workers.

The union is asking members to vote yes to four questions covering privatisation, a mail boycott, pay and workplace issues. The results will be announced on June 19, with the CWU hopeful of a yes vote.

If we don’t deliver access mail, our customers may look for alternatives, including ­using more email.
A Royal Mail statement
However, the ballot does not close until June 18 and both the proportion of members voting yes and the size of the turnout will be considered before a decision is made on whether to conduct a disruptive boycott of competitors’ or private mail. This makes up 44 per cent of the UK’s daily ­mailbag.

Royal Mail says its average daily mailbag is 58 million items, meaning a boycott would leave 26 million items undelivered each day. These would ­include bills, statements and business mail contracts won by companies including TNT and UK Mail.

The CWU blasts these ­private mail companies as ­“unfair competition”.

Disruption could last a day or a week or even be conducted on a rolling basis. The CWU says it will wait for the outcome of the ballot before deciding how long it would last.

Royal Mail would seek an ­injunction in the event of any illegal action.

The CWU has also asked members if they oppose Royal Mail’s upcoming privatisation, which is designed to give ­access to capital for much-needed modernisation.

Royal Mail said when the ballot was announced: “Royal Mail is disappointed with the CWU’s decision to hold its ­consultative ballot of its members on a number of issues. A boycott of access [private] mail would adversely impact the business, our reputation and that of our employees.

“If we don’t deliver access mail, our customers may look for alternatives, including ­using more email.”

CWU deputy general secret­ary Dave Ward, said: “This ­ballot is about protecting the interests of our members and the future of the UK postal service.”

[mandelsons_toenail]

More email

[spoodoo]

Did the business not see email and tht coming years ago ,

[Darren Bent]

More like switching from DSA to Mailsort DSA then we deliver it.

[worktotime]

will that inc any mail with any mark on apart from r/m stamped , it would be no good doing for a day or a week , it would have to be a rolling one everyday , and you watch all these so called customers come running back to us for new contracts , when they do I would increase the price turncoats.

[clashcityrocker]

If this goes ahead there is really only one way it can pan out.

Someone in a MC refuses to allow the DSA on site.
They are taken off pay and we all walk.

Meanwhile RM have a high court injunction declaring the boycott illegal and the CWU have their funds sequestered.

Given that Wardy goes on about not wanting to see the CWU go the way of the miners and the print unions, I think the threat to boycott competitors mail is nothing more than that.
And it isn't really about DSA - it is about highlighting the threat to the USO of end to end delivery.

[fishtank]

If this goes ahead there is really only one way it can pan out.

Someone in a MC refuses to allow the DSA on site.
They are taken off pay and we all walk.

Meanwhile RM have a high court injunction declaring the boycott illegal and the CWU have their funds sequestered.

Given that Wardy goes on about not wanting to see the CWU go the way of the miners and the print unions, I think the threat to boycott competitors mail is nothing more than that.
And it isn't really about DSA - it is about highlighting the threat to the USO of end to end delivery.

I agree with you apart from the MC bit.
If they pick a day like say July whatever even if it starts at midnight the MC will already have DSA on site,as will some D.O.s.
The only precedent I can think of for this is "scab" mail in which case managers will probably be ordered to transport it to D.O.s which means that each unit will probably face the same decision.
Same outcome though.

[barrowc]

You could only have a boycott if you could actually isolate the DSA mail. If you started a boycott at midnight then in any Mail Centre the DSA mail will be mixed up with PPI/meter/stamp mail

[theboropostie]

If this goes ahead I see two possible outcomes (1) massive damage to RM leading to more job losses and (2) even bigger damage to CWU.

s**t idea in my opinion...

[cloherty1976]

This will go the same way as when Leighton and crozier were in charge and every time the cwu announce some action the royal mail will take it to court get an injunction. They have a much better legal team